"GUIDING LIGHT" TO BROADCAST ITS FINAL EPISODE ON FRIDAY, SEPT. 18

[Henry]

To many of you this won't mean much, however in some families, this show has entertained at least four generations.  My wife, her mother, her grandmother, my mother and our daughters could sit and talk about the characters as if they were members of their own families.

"Earlier today As The World Turns exectuive producer Chris Goutman broke the news to his cast and crew that their sister soap, the 72-year-old Guiding Light has in fact been cancelled, according to sources.

"The series will wrap this September," says one source.

ATWT has reportedly been picked up by CBS for one more year.
"The decision came from above Barbara Bloom's head," says another source. "She was telling the truth when she told Ellen and TeleNext she thought they would be renewed."

[Henry]

OK, Now that Mike Cain has fessed up to watching soaps, I have to admit I also watched them.  That all started back on one of my stints on the off shift.  For some reason, most men don't like to admit they watched the soaps, however, if you have a wife,daughters, mother and mother-in-law that do, if you wanted to get into these conversations about the soap stars and their trials and tribulations, you kind of had to.

I remember my girls getting upset with some of the characters on the show and my mother simply saying, "She plays her part well."

On the news last night they said that Guiding Light was on the air 52 years and when I mentioned to my wife that her Soap Spoiler had said 72 years, she clarified it by saying 52 years on television and another 20 years on radio.  Oh yes, before television there was radio and the soaps were there.  I remember mother listening to "Ma Perkins" which was one of her favorite soaps on radio.  Don't know if "Ma Perkins" ever was on television or not.

[mirjo]

I saw this while perusing for something else. I know Maryann is  a GL fan just as I am and I really could not believe the news when I heard it. Personally, I think Y&R gets the top ratings simply because it's on at lunch time and more people get to watch it! Every nurse's lounge in the country with a TV has it tuned to soaps and what is on between 1230and 130?? The plot lines are all very similar and it's really a matter of liking the actors, most of whom are excellent and don't get enough credit because they're "daytime" actors and not taken as seriously as their evening counterparts, even though the dayshift is more demanding (5 daily shows and likely more airtime for the actors than a weekly).

Why not a cut back to 30min solution for the iconic show? or get rid of B&B? What happened to letting the last one hired go? Yeah, I'm a little upset.

More people watch soaps than will cop to it. It's a dirty little secret for many, but a safer escape from reality than drugs. Yes it's campy, but it's supposed to be. I think it's funny that those who hate soaps and complain about their stupidity and unreality don't get that that is the point.

[Sue W.]

I used to love watching GL.  I started watching it with my grandmother in my early teens and got hooked.  I'll admit to taping it and watching it when I got home from work for many years!  I haven't watched the soaps in a long time but so many people enjoy them, it seems a shame to do away with them, especially GL.  They are certainly not the worst TV shows around!

[Henry]

For many, many years now Maryann has been e-mailing out her soap spoilers to a large group of avid soap opera fans.  Many who work are unable to watch them, or if they record them have trouble finding the time to watch the recording.  In this way not only do they know what happened last week, but get the skuttlebutt on what is going to happen next week.  I am sure if you send her an email at mmrhar@myfairpoint.net she would be happy to add your email to her long list of recipients.